1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
The 1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 60th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 36 countries participated in several levels of competition, with Slovakia making their first appearance in the top Champions Group A, in their fourth tournament since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the separate Czech Republic and Slovakia men's national ice hockey teams. The competition also served as qualifications for group placements in the 1997 competition.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Austria |
| Dates | 21 April – 5 May |
| Teams | 12 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Czech Republic (1st title) |
Runner-up  | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
Third place  |  United States |
| Fourth place |  Russia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 40 |
| Goals scored | 249 (6.23 per match) |
| Attendance | 186,830 (4,671 per match) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Yanic Perreault 9 points |
← 1995 1997 → | |
The top Championship Group A tournament took place in Austria from 21 April to 5 May 1996, with all games played in Vienna. Twelve teams took part, with the first round split into two groups of six, with the first four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. The Czech Republic beat Canada in the final to become World Champions for the first time. The final game was tied at two apiece before Martin Procházka scored with nineteen seconds left, followed by an empty net goal to seal the victory.[1] In the bronze medal game, Brian Rolston scored at 4:48 of overtime to win the first medal in 34 years for team USA.[2][3] The unfortunate Russians, competing in their fifth tournament since being created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, did not lose a game in regulation time in the entire tournament, but finished fourth.
World Championship Group A (Austria)
Group 1
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23–08 | 10 |
| 2 | United States | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15–14 | 6 |
| 3 | Canada | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 17–15 | 5 |
| 4 |  Germany | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12–11 | 4 |
| 5 |  Slovakia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13–16 | 3 |
| 6 | Austria | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 03–19 | 2 |
| 21 April | Germany | 1–2 | Russia |
| 21 April | Canada | 3–3 | Slovakia |
| 22 April | Austria | 1–5 | United States |
| 22 April | Russia | 6–2 | Slovakia |
| 23 April | United States | 4–2 | Germany |
| 23 April | Austria | 0–4 | Canada |
| 24 April | Germany | 5–1 | Canada |
| 25 April | Austria | 2–1 | Slovakia |
| 25 April | United States | 1–3 | Russia |
| 26 April | Austria | 0–3 | Germany |
| 26 April | Russia | 6–4 | Canada |
| 27 April | United States | 4–3 | Slovakia |
| 28 April | Austria | 0–6 | Russia |
| 28 April | Canada | 5–1 | United States |
| 29 April | Slovakia | 4–1 | Germany |
Group 2
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Czech Republic | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 27–12 | 9 |
| 2 |  Finland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 23–15 | 6 |
| 3 |  Sweden | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14–12 | 6 |
| 4 |  Italy | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 20–26 | 5 |
| 5 |  Norway | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 06–11 | 4 |
| 6 |  France | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12–26 | 0 |
| 21 April | Czech Republic | 3–1 | Sweden |
| 21 April | Finland | 1–1 | Norway |
| 22 April | France | 5–6 | Italy |
| 23 April | Italy | 4–0 | Norway |
| 23 April | Finland | 2–4 | Czech Republic |
| 24 April | Sweden | 2–1 | France |
| 24 April | Norway | 2–2 | Czech Republic |
| 25 April | France | 3–6 | Finland |
| 25 April | Sweden | 3–3 | Italy |
| 26 April | Italy | 2–9 | Finland |
| 27 April | Czech Republic | 9–2 | France |
| 27 April | Sweden | 3–0 | Norway |
| 28 April | Italy | 5–9 | Czech Republic |
| 28 April | Finland | 5–5 | Sweden |
| 29 April | Norway | 3–1 | France |
Playoff round
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 30 April | ||||||||||
| United States | 3 | |||||||||
| 3 May | ||||||||||
| Sweden | 2 | |||||||||
| United States | 0 | |||||||||
| 1 May | ||||||||||
| Czech Republic | 5 | |||||||||
| Czech Republic | 6 | |||||||||
| 5 May | ||||||||||
| Germany | 1 | |||||||||
| Czech Republic | 4 | |||||||||
| 30 April | ||||||||||
| Canada | 2 | |||||||||
| Finland | 1 | |||||||||
| 3 May | ||||||||||
| Canada | 3 | |||||||||
| Canada (GWS) | 3 | |||||||||
| 1 May | ||||||||||
| Russia | 2 | Third place | ||||||||
| Russia | 5 | |||||||||
| 4 May | ||||||||||
| Italy | 2 | |||||||||
| Russia | 3 | |||||||||
| United States (OT) | 4 | |||||||||
Quarterfinals
| 30 April | United States | 3–2 | Sweden |
| 30 April | Finland | 1–3 | Canada |
| 1 May | Russia | 5–2 | Italy |
| 1 May | Czech Republic | 6–1 | Germany |
Consolation Round 11–12 Place
| 1 May | Austria | 3–6 | France |
| 2 May | Austria | 3–6 | France |
Austria was relegated to Group B.
Final
| 5 May 15:00 | Czech Republic | 4–2 (1–1, 1–1, 2–0) | Canada | Wiener Stadthalle, Wien Attendance: 9,500 |
| Roman Turek | Goalies | Curtis Joseph | Referee: Müller Linesmen: Rautavuori Rönnmark | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
World Championship Group B (Netherlands)
Played 10–20 April in Eindhoven. Latvia won at this level for the first time. In their final game, superb goaltending by Artūrs Irbe kept them in it, and a late tying goal by Oļegs Znaroks sealed the tournament victory.[3] The final game had high drama for the host crowd, the Japanese and Danish teams among them. If the Netherlands were to lose to Poland, they would finish last and be relegated, a tie and Japan would be last, a win and Denmark would be last. A third period goal by Poland sealed Japan's fate.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Tie breaker H2H Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 |  Latvia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 41–16 | 13 | |
| 14 |  Switzerland | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 37–13 | 11 | |
| 15 |  Belarus | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 29–18 | 10 | |
| 16 |  Great Britain | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 29–23 | 9 | |
| 17 |  Poland | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 18–27 | 4 | |
| 18 |  Denmark | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 14–32 | 3 | 3 |
| 19 |  Netherlands | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12–35 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 |  Japan | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 14–30 | 3 | 1 |
Latvia was promoted to Group A while Japan was relegated to Group C.
| 10 April | Latvia | 6–5 | Great Britain |
| 10 April | Poland | 3–3 | Japan |
| 10 April | Netherlands | 0–3 | Denmark |
| 10 April | Switzerland | 2–4 | Belarus |
| 11 April | Japan | 1–6 | Latvia |
| 11 April | Great Britain | 2–7 | Switzerland |
| 12 April | Denmark | 3–4 | Poland |
| 12 April | Netherlands | 2–3 | Belarus |
| 13 April | Latvia | 5–3 | Denmark |
| 13 April | Switzerland | 7–2 | Japan |
| 13 April | Great Britain | 4–2 | Poland |
| 14 April | Netherlands | 2–6 | Great Britain |
| 14 April | Latvia | 4–1 | Belarus |
| 15 April | Denmark | 1–10 | Switzerland |
| 15 April | Poland | 3–6 | Belarus |
| 15 April | Japan | 1–2 | Netherlands |
| 16 April | Latvia | 4–2 | Poland |
| 16 April | Japan | 3–3 | Great Britain |
| 17 April | Belarus | 6–1 | Denmark |
| 17 April | Switzerland | 5–1 | Netherlands |
| 18 April | Poland | 2–5 | Switzerland |
| 18 April | Netherlands | 3–15 | Latvia |
| 19 April | Belarus | 7–2 | Japan |
| 19 April | Great Britain | 5–1 | Denmark |
| 20 April | Belarus | 2–4 | Great Britain |
| 20 April | Denmark | 2–2 | Japan |
| 20 April | Switzerland | 1–1 | Latvia |
| 20 April | Poland | 2–2 | Netherlands |
World Championship Group C (Slovenia)
Played 22–31 March in Jesenice and Kranj. For the fourth year in row the Kazakhs and Ukrainians met in Group C. For the first time the Kazakhs came out on top, and it was the difference in winning the tournament.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 |  Kazakhstan | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 51–10 | 12 |
| 22 |  Ukraine | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 40–13 | 12 |
| 23 |  Slovenia | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 41–19 | 10 |
| 24 |  Hungary | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34–25 | 7 |
| 25 |  Estonia | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 36–29 | 7 |
| 26 |  Romania | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 32–27 | 6 |
| 27 |  China | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17–68 | 2 |
| 28 |  Croatia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11–71 | 0 |
Kazakhstan was promoted to Group B while Croatia was relegated to Group D.
| 22 March | Romania | 9–2 | Croatia |
| 22 March | Estonia | 13–2 | China |
| 22 March | Ukraine | 4–1 | Hungary |
| 22 March | Slovenia | 2–4 | Kazakhstan |
| 23 March | Hungary | 2–7 | Kazakhstan |
| 23 March | Slovenia | 4–1 | Romania |
| 23 March | China | 2–7 | Ukraine |
| 23 March | Estonia | 10–2 | Croatia |
| 25 March | Slovenia | 6–3 | Estonia |
| 25 March | Ukraine | 11–1 | Croatia |
| 25 March | Romania | 3–5 | Hungary |
| 25 March | Kazakhstan | 15–0 | China |
| 26 March | China | 3–11 | Romania |
| 26 March | Kazakhstan | 12–0 | Croatia |
| 26 March | Hungary | 5–5 | Estonia |
| 26 March | Slovenia | 2–4 | Ukraine |
| 28 March | Romania | 2–3 | Estonia |
| 28 March | Croatia | 4–6 | China |
| 28 March | Kazakhstan | 3–2 | Ukraine |
| 28 March | Slovenia | 4–3 | Hungary |
| 29 March | Ukraine | 7–2 | Romania |
| 29 March | Croatia | 0–10 | Hungary |
| 29 March | Estonia | 0–7 | Kazakhstan |
| 29 March | Slovenia | 10–2 | China |
| 31 March | Ukraine | 5–2 | Estonia |
| 31 March | Slovenia | 13–2 | Croatia |
| 31 March | Romania | 4–3 | Kazakhstan |
| 31 March | China | 2–8 | Hungary |
World Championship Group D (Lithuania)
Played in Kaunas and Elektrenai 25–31 March. To narrow the field of the bottom tier to eight nations, two regional qualifying tournaments were used.
Group 1 (Australia)
Played 5 and 6 November 1995 in Sydney.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12–02 | 4 |
| 2 |  New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 02–12 | 0 |
| 5 November 1995 | Australia | 6–0 | New Zealand |
| 6 November 1995 | Australia | 6–2 | New Zealand |
Group 2 (Israel)
Played 27–29 January 1996 in Metulla.
The Greek team originally won both their games, but it was later found that they had used ineligible players. Both games were declared 5–0 forfeits in favour of the opposing team.[3]
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Israel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24–00 | 4 |
| 2 |  Turkey | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 05–19 | 2 |
| 3 |  Greece | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 00–10 | 0 |
| 27 January 1996 | Israel | 1–4 5–0 by default | Greece |
| 28 January 1996 | Turkey | 0–19 5–0 by default | Greece |
| 29 January 1996 | Israel | 19–0 | Turkey |
Group 1
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | %253B_Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro_(2003%E2%80%932006).svg.png.webp){kind=small} FR Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14–05 | 6 |
| 2 |  Spain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15–06 | 3 |
| 3 |  South Korea | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15–10 | 3 |
| 4 | Australia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 08–31 | 0 |
| 25 March | FR Yugoslavia | 7–1 | Australia |
| 25 March | Spain | 1–1 | South Korea |
| 26 March | Spain | 11–1 | Australia |
| 26 March | FR Yugoslavia | 3–1 | South Korea |
| 27 March | South Korea | 13–6 | Australia |
| 27 March | FR Yugoslavia | 4–3 | Spain |
Group 2
The Israeli team, that had qualified for the tournament after the Greek forfeits, had to forfeit its first two games because they used two Russian players who did not have the proper clearance to play.[3]
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Lithuania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19–02 | 6 |
| 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10–13 | 4 |
| 3 |  Bulgaria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 07–06 | 2 |
| 4 | Israel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 00–15 | 0 |
| 25 March | Bulgaria | 3–3 5–0 by default | Israel |
| 25 March | Lithuania | 11–2 | Belgium |
| 26 March | Belgium | 3–2 | Bulgaria |
| 26 March | Lithuania | 7–2 5–0 by default | Israel |
| 27 March | Belgium | 5–0 | Israel |
| 27 March | Lithuania | 3–0 | Bulgaria |
Final Round 29–32 Place
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Lithuania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25–04 | 6 |
| 30 | FR Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10–08 | 4 |
| 31 | Spain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10–16 | 2 |
| 32 | Belgium | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 05–22 | 0 |
Host Lithuania won all five games to earn promotion to Group C.
| 29 March | FR Yugoslavia | 5–2 | Belgium |
| 29 March | Lithuania | 11–1 | Spain |
| 31 March | Spain | 6–1 | Belgium |
| 31 March | Lithuania | 3–1 | FR Yugoslavia |
Consolation Round 33–36 Place
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22–13 | 5 |
| 34 | Bulgaria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14–10 | 4 |
| 35 | Israel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10–10 | 3 |
| 36 | Australia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12–25 | 0 |
| 28 March | Bulgaria | 5–4 | Australia |
| 28 March | Israel | 3–3 | South Korea |
| 30 March | Israel | 7–2 | Australia |
| 30 March | South Korea | 6–4 | Bulgaria |
Ranking and statistics
Tournament Awards
|
Final standings
The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:
 | Czech Republic |
 | Canada |
 | United States |
| 4 | Russia |
| 5 | Finland |
| 6 | Sweden |
| 7 | Italy |
| 8 | Germany |
| 9 | Norway |
| 10 | Slovakia |
| 11 | France |
| 12 | Austria |
Scoring leaders
List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yanic Perreault | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +4 | 0 | F |
| Robert Lang | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +7 | 2 | F |
| Sergei Berezin | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +2 | 2 | F |
| Alexei Yashin | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +4 | 4 | F |
| Travis Green | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | +2 | 8 | F |
| Teemu Selänne | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | +7 | 0 | F |
| Bruno Zarrillo | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +4 | 4 | F |
| Dmitri Kvartalnov | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 4 | F |
| Robert Reichel | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +8 | 0 | F |
| Pavel Patera | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +1 | 2 | F |
Leading goaltenders
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list.
| Player | MIP | GA | GAA | SVS% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Schistad | 240 | 6 | 1.50 | .971 | 0 |
| Andrei Trefilov | 310 | 6 | 1.16 | .956 | 0 |
| Roman Turek | 480 | 15 | 1.88 | .952 | 1 |
| Boo Ahl | 300 | 10 | 2.00 | .942 | 1 |
| Klaus Merk | 299 | 16 | 3.21 | .938 | 1 |
Citations
- Duplacey page 508
- Podnieks page 160
- Summary at Passionhockey.com
References
- Complete results
- Duplacey, James (1998). Total Hockey: The official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League. Total Sports. pp. 498–528. ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. pp. 159–60.